What's the big deal about animal waste?

2/14/2022 (Permalink)

There is no typical day for a technician at SERVPRO of The Southtowns because of all the different kinds of disasters we deal with.  While most people associate us with fire and water damage, we also provide biohazard cleaning and hazardous material removal.  This can include sewage backups, human blood and even animal waste. 

Recently, since the weather has been pretty cold, we have been dealing with animals in our customers’ attics.  Even after these animals have been evicted, you can have serious problems due to the mess that they left behind. These problems can include buildups of waste, particularly animal feces, which can ruin insulation, cause serious odor problems and pose a risk to your family’s health.

  Most people think that the cleanup effort will be relatively simple. However, animal feces can be dangerous if not handled properly, largely due to the pathogens that it may contain. The CDC even recommends that you “treat feces-soiled decks, patios, and other surfaces with boiling water or a propane torch.”  SERVPRO of The Southtowns takes pride in equipping our technicians with all of the gear they need to be and feel safe on these kinds of jobs. 

On biohazard jobs such as these, a technician will be equipped with a full-body clean suit, gloves, booties to go over their shoes, and of course, full-face respirators.  The one piece of equipment that is particularly important is our full-face respirators.  OSHA defines full-face respirators as “air-purifying respirators that have the potential to provide protection from many types of dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors.”  This means that wearing a full-face respirator during a biohazard cleanup is crucial to maintaining a quality air supply. 

So next time you have a raccoon in your attic, don’t take it lightly.  Cleaning up after a wild animal can be extremely harmful to your health if you aren’t properly equipped.  Call the pros.